The protection slipped, just for a moment, but it was all they needed. A good distance away from where the being's presence had first been detected, but that should have been predicted. Distance wouldn't mean anything to something that could slip so easily through the void.
Without the capacity for worry, there was no reason for the Faceless Ones to hurry. Several began moving towards the disturbance, and one - quickly growing bored of the proceedings - descended back into the vessel they had kept for the fairly new pastime of torture, a rugged and worn-down mortal body inhabited so many times that the skin of its face was now permanently smooth and featureless, even when it was empty.
Its powers were heavily limited within the failing flesh, but tracking down the dead man was never satisfying if it could simply pick out the glittering consciousness immediately.
Its brethren closed in on the fateful spot where the disturbance should be, several of their pets flying in to hover just above the rooftops, but it was all in vain; nothing was there. A vague afterimage of sound permeated the air, but it was all the Faceless Ones had left to grapple with.
This went beyond the protection that had sprung back up as quickly as it had faltered. There was simply nothing existing there, or anywhere nearby, nor any sign - apart from the afterimage - that anything ever had.
Whatever protection it utilized was powerful, but it also indicated fear. It wouldn't be long before the being would have to reveal itself again, and the Faceless Ones would be more than ready. Their pets circled out, searching, watching for any unfamiliar movement. The Faceless Ones, their torrents of impossibilities flaring high and distorting all heat and light in the area, began to destroy the surrounding buildings. One by one, the stone structures crumbled, their rate of decay sped up until the nearest ones were nothing but piles of choking dust.
~~
Some distance away from both the destruction and the courtyard, there was movement the pets had learned to ignore until their masters commanded otherwise. It was a walking skeleton, wearing the remains of a tattered blue suit, his skull awkwardly bleached in a way that suggested he had worn a hat until very recently. He had, in fact, lost it just a few hours ago, and given up searching for it when he realized how useless the article of clothing really was in this situation.
He'd regret it later, no doubt. How, he wasn't sure, particularly since there was no hope of escape.
His voice, in complete contrast to his disheveled appearance, was as clear and velvet as it always had been. It echoed off the stone walls a good few feet before he came into view, only forming understandable words once he'd come a bit closer.
"She was a lot like you," he was saying. "Same misguided desire for attention, same utter disregard for authority. Selfish, too. But intelligent, and fearless, and willing to do what was necessary."
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not," Valkyrie answered with a weak smile.
Skulduggery tilted his head towards her. "Always take everything as a compliment. It makes you feel better about yourself and keeps your enemies off-guard."
"I'll try to keep that in mind."
There was a raw, scratching sound, the exhale of nonexistent air through a nonexistent mouth. "Don't bother. Your mind is my mind, after all. You can't learn what you already know."
Valkyrie frowned. "What do you mean? I'm-"
"Not real. Obviously. Unless Valkyrie somehow gained the ability to walk through walls when I wasn't looking. Look, no offense, but I've had this conversation with myself hundreds of times now, and it never goes any differently. You keep telling me I can fly, and in one unfortunate lapse of judgment, I believed you. Never again. You will also insist you're real until I can prove otherwise, whereupon you disappear in a cloud of smoke."
"Skulduggery-"
The skeleton reached out and poked the dark-haired girl sharply in the side. His hand went through her, but the image only wavered slightly before becoming just as solid as before. Valkyrie lost her look of confusion, and smirked.
"Ah," was Skulduggery's only reaction. "That usually works."
"You're losing your mind, you know," she informed him smugly. "And you know this is only the beginning."
"Yes," Skulduggery agreed morosely. "I know. You'll turn into Lord Vile in a moment and find new ways to torture me. You're me, remember? Anything you could possibly do to me I've already thought of, so I'd appreciate it if we could skip the preamble. It's really rather obvious."
The smirk turned into a frown. "The story's no fun if you already know how it goes," the hallucination of Valkyrie pressed.
"And yet, you continue to be impressed by me." Skulduggery stopped, turned to the right, and climbed a set of stone stairs he was almost positive hadn't been there before. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a right arm to go find."
no subject
The protection slipped, just for a moment, but it was all they needed. A good distance away from where the being's presence had first been detected, but that should have been predicted. Distance wouldn't mean anything to something that could slip so easily through the void.
Without the capacity for worry, there was no reason for the Faceless Ones to hurry. Several began moving towards the disturbance, and one - quickly growing bored of the proceedings - descended back into the vessel they had kept for the fairly new pastime of torture, a rugged and worn-down mortal body inhabited so many times that the skin of its face was now permanently smooth and featureless, even when it was empty.
Its powers were heavily limited within the failing flesh, but tracking down the dead man was never satisfying if it could simply pick out the glittering consciousness immediately.
Its brethren closed in on the fateful spot where the disturbance should be, several of their pets flying in to hover just above the rooftops, but it was all in vain; nothing was there. A vague afterimage of sound permeated the air, but it was all the Faceless Ones had left to grapple with.
This went beyond the protection that had sprung back up as quickly as it had faltered. There was simply nothing existing there, or anywhere nearby, nor any sign - apart from the afterimage - that anything ever had.
Whatever protection it utilized was powerful, but it also indicated fear. It wouldn't be long before the being would have to reveal itself again, and the Faceless Ones would be more than ready. Their pets circled out, searching, watching for any unfamiliar movement. The Faceless Ones, their torrents of impossibilities flaring high and distorting all heat and light in the area, began to destroy the surrounding buildings. One by one, the stone structures crumbled, their rate of decay sped up until the nearest ones were nothing but piles of choking dust.
~~
Some distance away from both the destruction and the courtyard, there was movement the pets had learned to ignore until their masters commanded otherwise. It was a walking skeleton, wearing the remains of a tattered blue suit, his skull awkwardly bleached in a way that suggested he had worn a hat until very recently. He had, in fact, lost it just a few hours ago, and given up searching for it when he realized how useless the article of clothing really was in this situation.
He'd regret it later, no doubt. How, he wasn't sure, particularly since there was no hope of escape.
His voice, in complete contrast to his disheveled appearance, was as clear and velvet as it always had been. It echoed off the stone walls a good few feet before he came into view, only forming understandable words once he'd come a bit closer.
"She was a lot like you," he was saying. "Same misguided desire for attention, same utter disregard for authority. Selfish, too. But intelligent, and fearless, and willing to do what was necessary."
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not," Valkyrie answered with a weak smile.
Skulduggery tilted his head towards her. "Always take everything as a compliment. It makes you feel better about yourself and keeps your enemies off-guard."
"I'll try to keep that in mind."
There was a raw, scratching sound, the exhale of nonexistent air through a nonexistent mouth. "Don't bother. Your mind is my mind, after all. You can't learn what you already know."
Valkyrie frowned. "What do you mean? I'm-"
"Not real. Obviously. Unless Valkyrie somehow gained the ability to walk through walls when I wasn't looking. Look, no offense, but I've had this conversation with myself hundreds of times now, and it never goes any differently. You keep telling me I can fly, and in one unfortunate lapse of judgment, I believed you. Never again. You will also insist you're real until I can prove otherwise, whereupon you disappear in a cloud of smoke."
"Skulduggery-"
The skeleton reached out and poked the dark-haired girl sharply in the side. His hand went through her, but the image only wavered slightly before becoming just as solid as before. Valkyrie lost her look of confusion, and smirked.
"Ah," was Skulduggery's only reaction. "That usually works."
"You're losing your mind, you know," she informed him smugly. "And you know this is only the beginning."
"Yes," Skulduggery agreed morosely. "I know. You'll turn into Lord Vile in a moment and find new ways to torture me. You're me, remember? Anything you could possibly do to me I've already thought of, so I'd appreciate it if we could skip the preamble. It's really rather obvious."
The smirk turned into a frown. "The story's no fun if you already know how it goes," the hallucination of Valkyrie pressed.
"And yet, you continue to be impressed by me." Skulduggery stopped, turned to the right, and climbed a set of stone stairs he was almost positive hadn't been there before. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a right arm to go find."